A Small, Informal Meeting (Private)

[DaveJ]

Kite paused a few seconds, as though he was waiting for the newest arrival to add more to his story, only speaking when he realized that Samdei had nothing more he wished to add. “Well, you are certainly free to join us here,” he says, “though I am unsure how the initiation process works. I’m sure Rosh does though” he hastily adds.

Kite takes his pad and starts to scribble some notes. “Getting back to the exercise though, physical, mental, and emotional trauma are all possibilities I suspect we will need to consider. I can personally vouch that there are cases where a newly Awakened can suffer from all of the above” he said grimly. “Toby and I do have substantial medical training, and I imagine Cog – being a Thyrsus like myself - will eventually have some experience in that field as well.” Kite appeared to madly scribble a couple items in a list on his pad. “But we do need to consider the different possibilities – perhaps none of us are available to treat the injury, or maybe the injury has been caused – or tainted - by paradox.” Kite set the pad down again. “Having access to appropriate equipment and supplies would be a plus.”

Kite leaned back in his chair, a barest hint of a smile creeping on his lips. “But is that the only immediate need that we would have to worry about?” he asked, clearly enjoying the challenge. “What are some reasons why someone newly Awakened would be injured?”

[October Davenport]

After Samdei said a little more about himself, and Kite started the exercise again, she decides to offer her thoughts. "My advice depends on where the Awakening took place. Take my Awakening for example, I felt like I was falling, then blacked out, and woke up in what I can only describe as a field, with the biggest moon I had ever seen. From there it was choices and many of them, each leading me closer to the Tower." she states, quickly deciding she had said too much on that, "But aside from that, I had questions, and needed to find someone to help answer them, or help guide me to where I could search for the answers. It is a sensory overload, so I feel the most important thing they need, is someone there to understand and support this transition. Though when and how someone Awakens is such a personal thing, it is hard to know what they need without being there with them.” When he mentions why they would be injured, “An injury can be a result of the whole process. Your reality, as you knew it, is being twisted and things are changing right before your eyes. It can feel like a dream. But with it feeling like a dream, it could lead someone go with what they have always been told, dreams can’t hurt them, so they are safe. Which can in turn lead to a dangerous action. But I would find myself worried about providing them with guidance and answers, making the transition as easy as possible.”

[DaveJ]

Kite listened carefully to what Toby and Cog had to day before he responded. “I completely agree that counseling is extremely helpful for the newly Awakened – someone needs to explain to them their new reality.” Kite looked at Toby “I can also vouch that Awakening can be a physically, mentally and spiritually traumatic experience… and the experience of Awakening can lead to severe injuries that may even be resistant to healing through willworking…” he looked slightly wistful as he finished that last statement, as if reflecting on a painful memory.

“However, I also had something else in mind..." he started, shaking himself back to the present. "More often than not, an Awakening is noticed by other members of our community. The newly Awakened will receive visitors from various orders, usually with some sort of recruitment pitch – often accompanied by an overview of benefits and the teaching of a few rotes. While this is usually a cordial affair, sometimes this can become quite violent - especially when other, less-hospitable Awakened enter the mix.” Kite took a sip of his soda before continuing. “Groups like the Seers of the Throne and the Scelesti are not above using the ‘hard sell’ to get the newly Awakened to join their side, and groups like the Banishers may very well decide to kill a newly Awakened initiate on sight.”

“Consider what could happen in this case: the newly Awakened initiate may find herself in the middle of a battle between experienced cabals of Pentacle and Seer willworkers. Caught in the crossfire, she may find herself shot, stabbed, drugged, mind-controlled, or suffering any one of a multitude of different types of trauma as the non-Pentacle group attempts to kidnap the new initiate and bring her to a secluded location. Failing this, the non-Pentacle group may even try to kill her – thereby preventing an enemy from gaining a new resource.” Kite grimaced as he posed the next problem. “And even if our friendly Pentacle cabal still manages to rescue our new willworker, then he or she may still have to contend with a hostile group looking to implement alternative methods of persuasion – perhaps threatening her friends, family, or livelihood - in order to turn her to join their side.” Kite coughed and cleared his throat, before taking another sip of cola. “Of course, what I am describing is something akin to a worst-case scenario…” he said as he finished his point. “…but these things unfortunately do happen.”

Kite looked down on his pad, recounting what he wrote. “Ok, so… starting out on our 'Resources Wish-List'... and I am assuming that the Free Council will, for the time being, be working out of the Hostel… at least until we find someplace better." He took a few seconds to madly scribble a few more notes. "Item: we’ll need a small area to act as an infirmary, with significant medical supplies on hand... perhaps including a small stock of first aid kits as well.” Kite scribbled down a few more notes before continuing. “… and if a new willworker – newly Awakened, or simply new to the city – needs a place to stay, we can use the Hostel for that as well… though we might need an alternative for willworkers who are actively being hunted or hounded.”

Kite scribbled a few more notes on his pad before looking up at everyone. “Did I miss anything? Or perhaps I am over-thinking this…?” he asked, after a long pause.

ooc

Kite will move on from “immediate necessities” to “short-term needs” if there are no objections.

[October Davenport]

Toby listens, thinking over what Kite has said. “What medical supplies are you looking for, besides the basic first aid kits? I can help get medical supplies, but would need a more specific list, so I know what I can get and what I can’t.” lets face it, there would be things she just could not get her hands on. “The Hostel should work for those being hunted as long as we have the proper Wards in place. But if we are looking to house those being hunted, I think we need to make sure we take the time look into why they are being hunted. There will be times when we will be faced with not being able to offer aid, and to me, those are the ones whos destiny has already been decided. I’m not saying we shouldn’t help, but we need to be careful in that type of situation, Fate is not something I wish to cross and interfere with. We have to look out for ourselves as well.”

She offers Kite a friendly smile, “It’s not that you are over-thinking this, you have great ideas, and clearly your heart is in this. But sometimes, we have to go with the flow, let be what will be.”

[DaveJ]

Kite watched Cog leave the room before he responded to Toby “I agree that we have to think of each willworker on a case by case basis… I certainly don’t want us to end up harboring one of the Mad…” he agreed. “I think we should consider everyone, and at least hear their story. However, I was primarily thinking about, and concerned about, protecting someone being hunted by a Seer group, a Scelestus group, or something similar – a group that has designs on a willworker because she is a willworker, as opposed to more mundane reasons.” Kite walked to the refrigerator to grab another soda, and continued to speak as he walked back. “Of course, it’s hard to tell anything when bullets are flying – this would have to be done after the newly Awakened willworker is brought to a safe location.”

Kite twisted open his new soda as he continued to speak. “As for supplies, we can work out the details on that later. However, I am currently leaning towards what you might find in a typical ambulance: A Defibrillator, an EKG… the various drugs, supplies, and equipment that would be used to stabilize someone who has suffered severe physical trauma. I realize that it’s expensive, but the goal is to allow someone who isn’t Awakened but has medical training – perhaps as a paramedic – to keep someone who was severely injured alive until an appropriate willworking physician can apply his skill directly.”

Kite had already started to write on another page of his pad before he finished speaking with Toby. It took another few seconds for him to finish, at which point he started with another question. “Ok... moving on... so now let’s assume that we have a relatively new willworker in our care. She may have Awakened peacefully and made an inquiry with us on her own, or she may have been through a much more traumatic experience – perhaps she was rescued from that Seer or Scelestus group we were just speaking about. We have answered all of her initial questions – the one’s that we can, at least – and now she needs to start rebuilding a day-to-day life as a willworker. We can assume that she is either an Apostate who hasn’t decided which order to join – if any – or that she has already decided to join the Free Council.”

Kite looked at everyone present. “So, what things can we do to help her? And what resources will we need to accomplish that?”

[Iblardora]

Only now does the black man shift forward to join it.

"We first have to tell her what we are about, and to be honest I don't know that too well. I suggest we have a speech ready for people who are coming in. " He looks over at cog. "And hes got the same question I do."

[DaveJ]

Kite continued to take notes as Samdei and Cog made their initial comments. “I agree with you that we need to instruct the newly Awakened in the ways of willworking and techné. However,” Kite faced Cog, “keep in mind that we do have a tacit agreement with the other orders – when someone newly Awakened makes a decision of which order to join, the decision needs to be an open and informed choice. We can’t just immediately induct someone freshly Awakened into our order while hiding him or her from the rest of the community.”

Kite took a sip of his soda and cleared his throat. “But I also think that everyone is thinking too narrowly on this issue. Don’t just think in terms of resources that we currently have, but rather think in terms of resources we would like to have… remember, we’re trying to lay out a roadmap – we are forging a path that leads from where we are now, to becoming a well-respected order with a loyal membership. We need to be an order which, at the very least, offers basic assistance towards helping our membership develop their skills and standing in the world. Otherwise, if we don’t offer newly Awakened willworkers the same chance to improve their lot in life as the other Diamond orders, those newly Awakened will probably not join us, even if they agree with our philosophy.”

Kite took in a deep breath before he continued. “For example: one idea I was playing around with was trying to locate and lay claim to a small Hallow, and perhaps have it near or inside a small residence.” Kite paused to toss his empty soda bottle in the trash. “The idea here is that, until the newly Awakened libertines or apostates find a cabal to take them in, or at least foster them, they could willwork various effects in the Hallow.”

When the question of voter status came up, Kite suddenly stopped taking notes, as if he was caught off guard. “You know, I really hadn’t considered it” he responded, as he started to give it some thought. “Well, I don’t think a simple declaration of allegiance is sufficient. I think... I think I would want a group or assembly vote – declaring that the member is in good standing – before I would grant the status of ‘voter’… though I suppose willworkers visiting from out of town who already have substantial status could be granted voter status immediately…” Kite resumed madly scribbling notes once he finished. “That said, I would be interested to hear everyone else’s thoughts on that.”

Kite’s example:

When Kite is talking about casting spells inside a Hallow, he is referring to the rules on pg 84 of the main rulebook, 1st column, 4th paragraph. Anyone casting spells inside a Hallow can deduct one point of mana from the spell cost for free – no mana is taken from the Hallow when this is done. This means that, among other things, a willworker can cast shielding spells that last all day instead of only an hour (all shielding spells have this in their description). For a new mage just starting in the world, having something like this would be a substantial aid.

Kite’s comment on Voters – Game Mechanics:

In term of game mechanics, Kite is saying that he thinks that anyone who is to be considered a ‘voter’ must have at least 1 rank in Status: Free Council, though he wants an assembly to affirm that individual first. Kite is also considering the idea that someone who enters the city with 2 or more ranks in Status: Free Council might be given voter status immediately upon declaring himself to the local Syndic or Stratego.